


Vulcan's Love

by lover_of_blue_roses



Series: Stockings 2019 [10]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Dork Lovers Server Stocking 2019 (Queen), Gen, Star Trek AU, half vulcan brian, human deacy, human!red special, red is transformed in a human, romulan roger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22062274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_of_blue_roses/pseuds/lover_of_blue_roses
Summary: Brian has struggled being half-Human while trying to maintain his Vulcan upbringing, but now that Red has become human it is even harder
Relationships: Brian May & the Red Special
Series: Stockings 2019 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1576186
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5
Collections: DL Stockings 2019





	Vulcan's Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Runningfortocome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runningfortocome/gifts).



Brian had bucked and then denounced Vulcan tradition by signing up for Starfleet but he had never regretted his decision. Starfleet was mostly made of other races but that didn't bother Brian, if anything he found such experiences with people so different to him very illuminating and thought provoking. 

His father had felt that he was throwing away his academic pursuits yet there was so much to see and discover in space; truly he encountered more wonder and awe in a month than most Vulcans did in 20 years of research. 

The actual difficulty was the rigid emotional control that was expected of Vulcans. Brian could feel it flag in his comportment often around such a vibrantly expressive crew. And he was often tested but surely this had to take the cake. 

As a regular member of the USS Queen's away team he had seen a lot of bizarre and even ground breaking things, but this was especially designed to test and push his buttons. That wasn't even an exaggeration in this case.

The USS Queen had been cruising from solar system to solar system when this particular species had made contact both through radio waves and from their spaceship that was traveling from one planet to another. Most of the senior crew had realised though and much to their horror that while this species had developed space travel they had yet to develop interstellar travel. 

They were carefully not going to think too hard about that and do the civil thing of engaging in diplomatic first contact. Jim Beach, their captain, both had a firm belief in following the rules which was good for a commanding officer and an understanding of when to bend which was good for Starfleet's exporational missions. 

While this species had traveled to their neighboring planets and their moons, they inhabited and had originated from the innermost planet. Despite it being so close to its sun it's thin atmosphere and the fact the star it was orbiting was red, meant that the surface temperature was actually very tolerable for Federation species.

So they had been beamed down to speak with the ruler and learn about them; where they met their Majesty, Mercury. Mercury found them excellent and interesting, even distowing on them royal nicknames and giving himself a Terran name of Freddie. 

As the night continued they were unknowingly becoming intoxicated, which was of course not allowed when on duty. But how could they have known that for rather than anything they consumed, it was a previously undetected gas in the air that was affecting them cerebrally which meant that all of them regardless of race was similarly affected. And so late into the night when they had well danced, sung and partied, Mercury had come up with the brilliant idea of exposing them to some kind of telepathic illusion creating, holodeck bordering thing called the 'Muse.' 

The Muse was meant to inspire artists and it did this by questioning world views, held beliefs and evoking strong emotions in its participants. Or at least it tried to with its fabricated, highly charged and significant scenarios. 

Mercury had proposed this test with such complicated jargon that no one in their intoxicated state could understand at first. Brian had just grasped their meaning when he had been transported from the encampment under the clear night sky to this spot on a grassy field by a lake under a bright blue sky. Judging from the planetary scans, Mercury's planet's atmosphere was far to thin and filled with methane to have such a bright blue sky which must mean this is completely a synthetic replica of earth. 

Brian is half-human on his mother's side and has been on Earth during shore leave when the USS Queen was docked there, so it could be pulling from his knowledge and experiences or possibly from the other members that were swept away such as John Deacon, better known as Deacy the chief engineer, who was human born and raised. 

He looks around the field to see that he is separated from the rest of the away team and further off, not in a Starfleet uniform a beautiful woman he both recognized and did not. She is not looking at him, appears not to have seen him yet. Patting her pockets and checking her person after having been sucked up into the Muse. 

He did something similar, checking to see if his communicator was in signal but of course not and upon realizing in the harsh light of day without the pounding music that he was further than tispy, brought his body into a partial healing trance. A full one would confine him to bedrest and he wasn't actually injured so this would have to be enough. 

She appeared human in face and body, her skin tan and dark auburn hair worn in a tight bun with pearl-ended hair sticks. What she wore reminded him a bit of the 1970's with black leather biker jacket, brown cargo pants that clung to her shapely curves before loosening to fall over combat boots. 

He approached calling out. She turned to face him. He was certain that he'd never seen her face before and yet... Somehow it was as though looking at a childhood friend and she greeted him with a matching expression of delight and warm kindness. "Brian?! How is it that I have come to be here? Like this?" Despite her human appearance she speaks Standard in a Vulcan manner; and her voice is a quiet buzz that dances along his nerves.

"Freddie- I that is to say, Mercury, the ruler of this planet lured us into this machine called a Muse which if he was honest in his explanation can both create into the world and communicate telepathically with us and whatever our experiences, desires or emotions might be," He tries to answer concisely but he finds her beauty quite distracting especially with her attention so fixed on him, nodding along as he answers.

He has seen many people of many species but it must be that this particular temptation is sculpted from his mind for he finds it hard to even look away, let alone focus on finding a way out.

She is the one to break eye contact, looking quizzically into the distance. "Did you hear that?" 

He hadn't but still she leaves to go investigate confident in what she heard and he follows. She walks oddly, like her legs aren't working properly and he wonders if she is hurt. "No, no, I don't think so at least, I just don't know how to walk with these," she reassures him smiling sweetly when he asks.

He wonders if somehow she is a trap and that these feelings have only been created inside of him but still when she reaches out to lean on him he has no desire to stop her and is powerless before her as she leads him towards the lake. 

Over there there is Roger sitting and chatting with a brunette. Roger is Brian's go-to member of any away team for he is cautious and capable for exploration missions, charming for first contact and diplomacy, handy at combat even if a little to hothead at times and even useful as a rubber duck for the questions Brian's scientific research provokes. 

Which are all the very legitimate, logical reasons Brian favors him over other members of the security team. Just because Brian might also really enjoy spending time with Roger, the Romulan being quick to joke and always making him happy, doesn't mean he would illogically prefer him. Brian is capable of balancing both personal and professional, and does not show unearned favoritism towards his closest friend on the Queen. 

He calls out to Roger who as a non-Vulcan is allowed to have happiness paint his face at seeing the ship's first officer. Their companions run into each other's arms, letting out a loud squealing noise like feedback when they clash. 

"They tell me their name is Deacy," Roger says gesturing to the androgynous brunette, who also appears human. 

They have long frizzy hair that makes them look a little more delicate than their rough jawline and are dressed in patched and scuffed oversized clothing. They blink, still wrapped up in the embrace, "Yes I am Deacy's. I have never been given another name." Their voice was odd but not in a way that was too obvious and Brian wasn't even sure what it was about it that was so... perturbing. 

"You are Deacy's?" / "You've never been given a name?" Brian and Roger speak over each other. They turn to look at each other and frown. Something is very wrong here, or at least unreal. The shock is so great as to drag Brian out of his partial healing trance which was fine as he was barely buzzed at this point.

They have known Deacy for many years now and would easily call him one of their closest friends. Even if Brian and Deacy liked to butt heads, generally more for something to do than actually malice, Brian found it hard to believe that the shy engineer would be a slave holder, something so horrifying, not to mention completely illegal, by Federation standards. 

"That's correct," the person said completely neutrally. Neither horrified nor elated at being finally free. "And this is Red," they said, pointing to the woman. Her hair was closer to brown than red as were her trousers so it didn't naturally follow. 

Red for her part smiled widely and enthusiastically at Brian, launching herself into his arms as she had into Deacy's. Brian settled himself from falling over. He was unused to so much emotion and she rubbed her face against his collarbone, practically purring, "I love you so much but to be able to see you and to hold and to touch you like this."

Brian blushed as he tried to stammer out a reason, Roger was doubled over trying to hold back his laughter. At least he could be thankful they weren't making any skin contact, for surely her emotions would overwhelm the poor telepath. 

"So have you two known each other long?" Roger asked the half-amorous couple. He had such a shit-eating grin and Brian just knew that he was going to be teased about this endlessly. 

"Oh yes," Red said in a bubbly manner as she linked her arm with Brian, "All my life of course. And him, well he was 15? I think."

Brian had absolutely no memory of this human woman and yet he couldn't out right deny knowing her. Firstly because it was clear he meant a lot to her and she was so happy to see him, and secondly because there was still that something that was so familiar to him even if he couldn't remember it. Could this Muse machine somehow be trying to implant memories in him? Hoping to gaslight him into believing that he knew her all along?

"We should-" Brian awkwardly cleared his throat, best just to not address this, "Try and find the others or a way out."

"Sounds like the most logical course of action Mr. May," Roger teased offering his hand to 'Deacy's' as they made their way around the lake in two pairs. Being addressed in such a manner was only because Roger was teasing Vulcan formality so Brian had never told him how much it hurt. 

He had always grown up thinking he'd get a doctorate and then had worked for it for many years even after he'd join Starfleet. When he'd finally decided he was no longer going to pursue it, it had been soul-crushing, not that he'd been allowed to express those emotions. 

Roger addressed everyone by their first names and so to be address so properly was actually how the romulan had nicknamed him. It wasn't like the rest of the ship didn't call him that and he didn't want to tell Roger why he'd rather not hear it from his closest friend. 

Oblivious to any such awkwardness Roger tried to politely and discreetly grill 'Deacy's'. But with each question, the answers became odder and odder, even the most innocuous casual ones.  
"Isn't the sunshine nice?" / "Very much so, this is my first time feeling warmth."  
"Do you not get out much?" / "Well only where I'm brought but I guess I have been to many places, even if I didn't really interact with them."  
"How did you and Deacy meet?" / "In a skip, he pulled me out."

As Brian's mother was British he was aware of their irregularities when speaking Standard and understood that meant a dumpster, which was all the more confusing. What was a planned engineer doing with trash let alone this strange human. 

"What about friends?" / "Well I guess Red is my only real friend but I don't know if friend is the right word if she's the only other person I've known on a long term basis."

And so then the questions moved to Red and were just as odd but while the two members of the away team were ruminating on what, let alone how, such a thing had come to pass, they found Deacy. 

He was at the shoreline with his shoes off and trousers rolled up digging in the mud and making a mess of his uniform. When they saw him, Roger called out and when Deacy saw their party, rather than growing fearful or defensive of 'Deacy's' or Red, he waved them over jovially. 

As they were planning peace talks and diplomacy when they came on this planet to deal with Mercury, Roger hadn't worn his usual phaser strapped to his hip as a gesture of goodwill. No instead he had it strapped on with an ankle holster. He had taken it out as soon as he'd been sucked up by the Muse. He and Brian shared a look and despite Roger casually holding it down by his side, they had both understood.

Deacy was a close colleague and Brian would even say friend despite their antagonistic relationship, but this law was so sacrosanct that no leniency could be given. 

Deacy didn't have any vision problems like Roger so Brian wonders why he hasn't recognized the humans they walk with. Unless the Muse has somehow given them more dignity, be it clothing or something else.

Deacy is kneeling on the ground separating clay from mud, and when they are close enough not to shout at each other he looks at the two humans and waves. "Hello I'm John Deacon, chief engineer of the USS Queen, and you are?"

Playing at being a complete stranger yet 'Deacy's' instantly throws themselves onto the ground to wrap him up in a tight hug, paying no heed to the mud they were splattering on their already worn, patched and stained clothing. Deacy looks shy and awkward in their embrace, unless he's a phenomenal actor which could be possible if he had managed to trick all of them for so long, Brian suspects that he still hasn't recognized them.

Deacy tries to wriggle back and out of the hug which is when they let go to really look at Deacy's unrecognizing face. "Really? Oh well, yes I suppose this body is very different and despite being my creator we don't spend as much time together as Brian."

Roger cuts a look to Brian and the phaser in his grip twitches. Brian doesn't know how to plead his innocence without revealing to Deacy what has been uncovered. "Here, let us show you," Red says as she links hands with 'Deacy's' and all of a sudden one of his guitar solos is roaring out of 'Deacy's' mouth. 

"Holy shit!" Roger exclaims over the sound of Brighton Rock, thankfully trained enough not to lift his phaser when startled. That was why 'Deacy's' voice sounded so off, like a computer's artificial voice. 

"You are the amplifier which Deacy built for me when we were all still in academy whom we have always referred to as the Deacy Amp?" A nod. "And you," he said turning to Red, "You are the guitar I built with my father as a young boy." Another nod. "Despite being inorganic non-living material this Muse machine has made you both alive with bodies and consciousness or at least has projected our own consciousness into making an appropriate facsimile."

"Well, I can't be sure," Red said hesitantly. "But I know things, that were told to me or at least in my presence when you were gone, such as your father telling me to not fall apart before packing me for your inner orbit shuttle launch. Which are things you could later confirm as being true. Such as Jobby always polishes the back of my neck with a softer rag than my head because he says I need delicate care after being held."

Brian swallows, this is very specific and plausible, and now his darling guitar has given him what his scientific mind what it craves, a means of independently identifying what is happening. He'd never imagined her as a person but if he had this isn't what she'd look like. Hair as curled and kinked as his or even more so and probably African American as the same source of the rockin' music she produced and of course Red. She wasn't actually painted that vibrant of a red just more than most guitars on the market at that point were painted rather to show the wood's natural grain but with her name, he'd imagined her bright and vibrant rather than the muted auburn she was. 

Still, even if she is not real this whole simulation has been extremely lifelike and he would not wish to treat her any less even if she is not real. In fact, "Well then I just- I don't know if I'll ever get another opportunity anything like this so I just wanted to let you know, thank you so much for always being with me through difficult times and that-" The words are thick in his throat. He's always been forbidden to express emotions and that previous statement already came dangerously close but he can't let that stop him if this might very well be his only opportunity. "I love you so much."

Red smiles beautifully back at him, not in any way surprised by his emotional outburst the way Roger and Deacy clearly are. "I love you too." She laughs softly and truly it sounds like the sweet of strings strummed. "You knew what you wanted and so that's what you made, a guitar unlike any out in the market with the most distinct noise. And then you never changed your mind, you really did want me and my noise. You've always treated me with love and not just me," She looks at Amp who also glows with the happiness of being loved, "You love music and take such care with it. I can imagine nothing greater. 

If there is anything I can express to you right now while I have a moving mouth it is that I would much rather be used until I fell apart at the seams than be trapped behind glass where I'd be admired but never used. Never made to create such sweet music again."

"I-" What even could the right answer to all that possibly be, "Yes, yes of course. That is what I wish and if that is also what you wish, I will do everything in my power to grant it." Brian, and Vulcans in general, rarely treat items like so; unlike humans with their collectables that could be most valuable if unopened and unusable. He is also aware that despite his best intentions and his stated desires, such things are not always respected past one’s death. 

"You're not just going to leave it at that?" Bitched the Romulan, it seems even with Brian's stunning and out of character words of affection it's still not enough for Roger. 

Deacy steps between the two of them without saying anything, just his mere presence and attempt at breaking their eye contact as he speaks, "I'd be curious what music they can make, as in create, now that they have minds that think and the will to express themselves." He turns to look at the instruments, "If that's acceptable? I wouldn't want to impose if you have other priorities."

They simultaneously shake their heads. "There's nothing I want more than to make music," Red assures him. 

"Good thing that. Imagine if all we wanted in life was to be medics," Amp teases apparently with a similar dry wit to her maker. 

"Be tough without thumbs," Red concurred grinning as she stands with legs braced. 

They link hands again and this time rather than Brian's familiar pluckings something else comes out and yet- and yet it is still very familiar. It is no longer the songs that Brian has written, nor the versions of those solos he has played before a crowd and yet it sounds so very much like him. It is not just the literal instruments that has that distinct sound but what is being played.

Red has an expression of focus on her face but requires no movements to play, which is a little disappointing to Roger who always personally likes himself some well done air guitar. Amp is much the same, unmoving but focused with her mouth open.

Red tries sing and despite having a singing voice much like Deacy's, which is to say not very good at all, it's interesting because she doesn't use words from Standard or any known alien language in fact. She uses the normal sounds of the human vocal range, in fact she uses those strictly from the American English one. 

They stand there unmoving, both mouths open allowing unfiltered rock come to them. Amp seems to follow Red's choices as they raise the volume or other features as needed to follow the desired outcome of the song, its lulls and climaxes. They make so much racket in fact that this is how the rest of the crew finds them, jamming at the lakeside. 

Brian wipes at his eyes and desperately tries to hold back the well of emotions pouring out of him. Even if this is little more than a creation from their minds and the Muse, that both of them and their affections are false constructs, this music is real and he will remember it forever. 

He tries his best to stand firm and unflinching, channeling the High Council Vulcans down to how his toes lay in his shoes. He has never been comfortable with anyone seeing his emotions but especially not his colleagues or superior. Miami has always been good at understanding when Brian needs some space as he balanced his half nature; and now is no different as he addresses the crew in such a direction that no one might be looking at his red rimmed eyes. 

Amp comes to his left and Red on his right, always on his right, and he places the same hand that delicately dances on her neck to hold onto her arm. He thinks he'd like to in this moment reach out and hold her hand for the intimacy this gesture has among humans but as a part-Vulcan telepath, his hands are simply too sensitive for such a thing as direct skin-on-skin hand contact. 

Miami's current theory is that as they woke up apart but alone and that only things relating to Brian have appeared so far, that somehow him being last to the machine must affect the fantasy or perhaps it is because he is the most sober. Which is why Amp was with Roger, the person of the away team he felt closest to. 

They are tasked with searching for a way out by searching around this lake area in pairs, this also means that if the Muse is somehow works on a timed system that they will effectively kill enough time while feeling like they are being productive. 

So while the away crew pairs up, Red and Amp as not members of the crew are free to stay here, chill, talk, jam, whatever, but they would much rather follow with Deacy and Brian. Which is why, rather than pairing up with Roger as is their wont, the two 'nerds' pair up together.

For once rather than playfully fighting or picking at each other, they act completely civili, focusing instead on the two instruments come to life. Deacy speaks about how while his bass isn't as special as a 'man-made with my father' guitar, he'd still have loved to meet them. Brian hadn't known that Deacy even played an instrument; he'd always played with a bassist named Tim Staffeled until he'd asked to be reassigned to be the Starfleet liaison on a commercial ship which Miami had just approved their last time docking at a port. 

And at first Brian is a little hauty even if he doesn't say it out loud or in any way change his expression but he does in fact think less of a common commercially made instrument that Deacy hasn't even named. But he hears how Red and Amp talk about the matter of making music, what it means to be a musician and he realises he's being silly. 

How or where Deacy's guitar came from is not the point. What matters is that now that he has her, he loves tenderly the music he makes with her, slaving over every note and giving it his best. Yet Brian can't help but to think he doesn't have the same reverence he has, which does technically make sense as instruments are just inanimate tools. He strikes the Vulcan as the kind of human that in a peak of rage would smash their instrument, he has after all seen their chief engineer punch a pane of window so thick he needed stitches. 

Brian tries his best not to steer the conversation into ones of philosophy about if his treatment of the both of them is not paramount to slavery because the truth is they don't care about that. Now they have bodies but before they didn't and again they will not and so all that matters is that they are being treated correctly right now. 

Instead the instruments want to talk about how various sounds feel, and what kind of music and artists they love. The answers are that they don't hate or even dislike any kind of music, but rather that it matters how it is played and to what end. 

Unfortunately this fascinating conversation is cut short by the three-note whistle they agreed would be their 'I've found something' notice as they communicators where nonfunctioning in the Muse.

They have found the input for the energy needed to generate this illusion and so Brian, as the head science officer and the most sober one of them, is tasked with breaking them out. He can feel Red's presence close behind him as she is flirted on by Roger. He's only gotten to know her for an hour and yet he's known her most of his life and will be terribly sad not to see her again. He can't however let his feelings get in the way of his captain's orders or the most logical course of action and thus he frees them of the Muse.

They wake up to find themselves in what is very similar to a deactivated holodeck. Mercury is distraught and horrified that they have broken his precious machine. Miami doesn't apologize and instead lectures him that drugging and kidnapping anyone, let alone members of Starfleet coming for diplomacy, is unacceptable. 

It's all a misunderstanding and Mercury is very sorry they feel this way because he was truly trying to make Brian feel closer to the music he loved after seeing it as the only source of passion from the blank faced Vulcan. 

Mercury likes music so much that he'd like to join 'their' band. To which Brian must ask which band now that Tim has left? To which he answers the one with Roger and Deacy. Somehow Mercury had learned of their instrumental talents because he is genuinely serious in treasuring music above all else.

Miami tries, with his best captain's authority, to make it clear that peace talks could be tried again with another Starfleet party, provided no such thing was ever tried again, on their own turf. But Mercury is really focused on the music, talking on and on about how wonderful all the cultures in the Federation must make music. So finally the captain says that Mercury can not join them as he is not a member of Starfleet and rather has a planet to govern.

Mercury waves away the latter, for there are hundreds that would love his spot and any power vacuum would just as quickly be filled. Instead he asks about how to join Starfleet. They are honest in telling him what to do because the truth is simple, this culture hasn't discovered interstellar travel yet and so it will be years, if not out of their life times, that Mercury might try this.

So with that they leave, possibly never to see any of this again. And once firmly back on the Queen ship herself which in an empty corridor Brian places a hand on her wall as though to communicate with a species unable of speech. He can only feel the hum of the engine and rush of the airways but he still speaks softly, "If you are in any way alive or sentient or able to hold memory, I would like to thank you on behalf of the crew for your service and the home you provide us."

Nothing changes but Brian walks on lighter, knowing that at least he has spoken to those that matter the most to him. And when he comes to his room and finds Red tucked up in her case, he pets her with a soft touch now that he can again. She is just as he left her, the strap lying smooth and flat, still he wonders as he plucks at her cords softly. Amp is tucked up right next to her, also unchanging, and it's box remains smooth but matt under his touch. They were so scuffed up and there's little he can do for that but perhaps a little paint job won't go a miss. 

His father would think he was silly if he called and asked what he told his guitar before moving out to the Starfleet academy but Jobby... Why he's only a few floors down on the third deck, still working a shift in med bay. Maybe he could ask. 

But until he decides such, he'd like to hear his sweet special baby sing for him. Plugs her in, throws the strap over his head and flicks on the amp feel her chords hum under his fingers as though ready to come to life under his will. He closes his eyes, his emotions still so close to the surface but he isn't ready to meditate and push them to an acceptable Vulcan distance. Because he's going to miss them, even though they are within his reach. Talking and expressing themselves, opinion, taste and an ability to create. 

But who knows, Mercury might one day rebuild his Muse machine and space is a big place, much of it still undiscovered, perhaps he will see them again.


End file.
